Friday, 30 June 2017

15,000 rail staff trained by Samaritans in suicide preventionAround 1 in 6 rail staff is now trained to prevent people taking their lives on the railway, as part of the suicide prevention partnership between Samaritans, Network Rail, British Transport Police (BTP) and the wider rail industry. Potentially life-saving interventions are increasing at the same time.Between April 2016 and the end of March this year, 1,593* interventions were made across Britain’s rail network by staff, British Transport Police, local police and the public, an increase of 40 percent on the previous year.In the same period, suicides and suspected suicides on the rail network dropped from 253 to 237**, showing a decline in rail suicides for the second year in a row. This is a fall of 18 percent in two years and 2016/17 represents the lowest yearly figure since 2010.

Thursday, 29 June 2017

Alstom today opens the biggest and most sophisticated centre for train modernisation ever in the UK. In a major boost to the rail industry in the North West of the country, this facility was officially opened by Lord Prior of Brampton – Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and some of Alstom’s newest apprentices and graduates.

Of course, as any ful kno, Alstom are also hoping that the Widnes facility will give it the edge when bidding to supply new trains into the UK.

So it is good to see Alstom joining Hitachi and Bombardier in putting its money where its mouth is.Come on Siemens, your turn next. (Unusual for the Germans to be late to a party. Ed)

Sounds familiar? Of course, it's the West Coast Route Modernisation debacle all over again.

True, Stagecoach and Virgin don't have the nuclear option of the WCML PUG2 contract which could have holed Network Rail below the waterline, but that's not needed when Network Rail is on the job, with vital capacity schemes like freight loops, Werrington grade separation and Woodwalton four tracking are sliding to the right and are now well into the second half of CP6 .We'll know it really is groundhog day when Mr Kipling is recalled to descope the scheme and devise a rescue timetable.

And they make painful reading, with the company recording an £84.1m exceptional charge to provide for anticipated losses under the VTEC contract over the next two years and a £44.8m non-cash write down on the franchises value.

Chief Executive, Martin Griffiths, said: “We are engaged in discussions with the Department for Transport regarding our respective contractual rights and obligations under the current Virgin Trains East Coast franchise and reflecting the reprioritisation of Network Rail's infrastructure programme.

"However, separately we have made financial provisions to reflect the short-term outlook for that business over the next two years, including in view of the weak growth environment affecting the UK rail sector as a whole.

"We are disappointed to report losses at Virgin Trains East Coast. However, I am confident that we can return the business to profitability and build on the significant benefits we have delivered to date for customers and taxpayers."

Stagecoach remains optimistic that the franchise will be profitable by 2019.

Of course much of this may depend on whether NR can deliver on the upgrades to the ECML it promised in CP5?

Under Parliamentary rules Select Committee chairs are limited to two Parliamentary terms, which means that a replacement must be found for Eye's favourite inquisitor Louise Ellman (Didn't we do this back in April? Ed)

Her modest, almost diffident, demeamour in the chair of the Transport Select Committee concealed a shrewd grasp of the issues and an interrogation technique which, unusually, generated more light than heat.

An abiding pleasure is her, and her Committee's dissection of DfT Permant Secretary Philip Rutnam over the Great Western Electrification Programme.

At her hearings you knew someone was in trouble when she gave them that quizical look over her spectacles before asking a seemingly simple question, which was often almost impossible to answer honestly without political fall out.

Louise - the railway industry will miss you!

UPDATE: Meanwhile, Eye understands that the following MPs are likely to appear on the ballot to be Labour's new chair of the Transport Select Committee:

Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South);

Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South);

Clive Efford (Eltham); and

Geraint Davies (Swansea West)

Of course Eye is completely non-partisan about this election, so may the best man win! (Which in this case is Lilian Greenwood - a noted friend to the railway and its supply chain over many years. #JustSaying. Ed)

27 June 2017 – Alstom has obtained the first AFAQ ISO 37001 certification awarded by AFNOR Certification following an audit carried out between March and May 2017 at seven sites in France and Europe, confirming its commitment to fight corruption.The international standard ISO 37001, introduced in October 2016, advocates a series of measures to help organisations of all sizes, both private and public, to prevent, detect and tackle bribery through the implementation of an anti-bribery management system.Move along people, nothing to see here.

This from the Scotsman...Plans to close Breich Station in West Lothian, used by just three passengers a week, have been announced by Network Rail. The move has been prompted by the £1.4 million cost of replacing its footbridge as part of electrification of the line, which would be saved. It is understood the station is likely to have stayed open otherwise.
The Sparks Effect, indeed!

Just imagine how many more of those annoying station things we could close if NR electrified the entire network!UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

If the clever traction engineers at Derby can fit an aluminium tube with seats and air conditioning and braking equipment and doors and bogies and lots of clever electronics and charge £1.2 million a throw for an Aventra vehicle how on earth can civil engineers justify £1.4 million for a footbridge? And does that include leaning-on-a-shovel-looking time?

South Eastern franchiseThe companies which want to run the next South Eastern franchise are:

South Eastern Holdings Ltd, a joint venture company that on franchise award will be wholly owned by Abellio Transport Group Ltd and East Japan Railway Company and Mitsui & Co Ltd

London and South East Passenger Rail Services Lrd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Govia Ltd

Stagecoach South Eastern Trains Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stagecoach Group plc

Trenitalia UK Ltd, wholly owned by Trenitalia SpA

West Coast Partnership franchiseThe WCP will be responsible for services on the West Coast Main Line from April 2019 and will design and run the initial HS2 high speed services between London and Birmingham from 2026.The shortlist contains bidding consortia which sees UK rail network experts working in partnership with companies that operate high speed railways around the globe, supported by businesses which have an excellent track record in customer services.They are:

First Trenitalia West Coast Ltd, a joint venture between First Rail Holdings Ltd and Trenitalia SpA

MTR West Coast Partnership Ltd, a joint venture between MTR Corporation (UK) Ltd and Guangshen Railway Company, with the following key sub-contractors:

FirstGroup and MTR will take over the South Western rail franchise from 20 June 2017. This is an opportunity to find out more about the new rolling stock being planned for the new franchise, with new trains to be built in the UK and introduced into service from mid-2019.

Members of the reality based community will of course realise that the new franchise is due to start on the 20th August, rather than June.

No matter.

Regular readers of Eye will recognise today's announcement from this, posted back in April...

Meanwhile here is a tip for other rolling stock manufacturers without a UK footprint:You've got to be in it, to win it!

Order of the British EmpireOfficers of the Order of the British EmpireRoger Toby Soames HARGREAVESDirector, Hybrid Bill Delivery, High Speed 2 Ltd. For services to Transport.Ms Linda Jean MILLERProject Manager, Crossrail. For services to Engineering and to Promoting Gender Equality.Ms Wendy Patricia SPINKSCommercial Director, St Pancras International Station. For services to Rail.

Order of the British EmpireMembers of the Order of the British EmpireBabak ERFANIChairman, Archway - the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Network. For services to Network Rail and Diversity in Transport.Patricia Lorraine, Mrs THOMASHR and Redeployment Adviser, Transport for London. For services to Transport in London and the community.

Order of the British EmpireMedallist of the Order of the British Empire

Steven Barry GREENWOODSpecial Chief Inspector, British Transport Police. For voluntary service to Policing.Miss Ann STEWARTFor voluntary service to the Arts, Healthcare and Steam Railway Preservation in London, Edinburgh and Derby

Monday, 12 June 2017

Meanwhile, those wondering what the election result means for transport policy are reminded that Northern Ireland's railways are both state owned and vertically integrated.Eat your heart out Jeremy Corbyn!

The railway police were the first force in the country to use trained police dogs (1909), one of the first to use drug sniffer dogs (1974), and the first to introduce a computerised crime reporting procedure (1970s).

The force took a national lead in football intelligence in the 1980s, and developed a bomb threat analysis procedure, later adopted nationally, as a result of dealing with twenty high explosive devices, forty incendiary devices and more than five thousand bomb threats during one three year period (1991-94).

Perhaps Theresa May will consult with the railway industry, before attempting to merge the specialist BTP into the constabularies of very different industries?Meanwhile, Hands off our Bobbies!